


Temptation

by Rabu_Me



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Alternate Universe - Pirate, Captain!Erwin, I will add more tags as things happen in the story because I don't want to spoil anything, M/M, Merman!Levi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-23
Updated: 2014-04-06
Packaged: 2018-01-13 11:00:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1223776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rabu_Me/pseuds/Rabu_Me
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>His gaze fell back to the water... </p><p>...only to find a pair of silver eyes boring right into his.</p><p>They didn't blink, not even once, as Erwin continued to look into them. The lack of light near the surface of the water didn't allow him to see clearly who it was, nor any other features of their owner, but those quicksilver orbs seemed to glow eerily in the dark.</p><p>Hypnotizing him, captivating him.</p><p>Patiently and somehow waiting, demanding him to join their owner in the water.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Argentum

Some people say that those who are not human shouldn”t be seen as anything more than a threat or a treasure of sorts.

 

It makes sense, if you think about it. Humans fear change. That includes anything that goes off the ordinary. With animals it was easy enough to take all their value as living beings. They were food sources, things to be breed and used as people needed or desired. The power belonged to all of humanity, or so politics claimed, even though only a few got the priviledge to hold some kind of leverage over others.

 

One of them was Erwin Smith.

 

He was born lucky, with the priviledge of learning how to write and read, how to give speeches that demanded respect from those who listened... and with the charisma needed to rule and conquer. It was not a surprise; such were the benefits of being born in a noble family. Luxury covered his every craving as a child, and the maids spoiled him rotten by giving him the most forbidden sweets they had in the kitchens. Erwin didn't get to see his father that often. It was normal, being part of the elite could be demanding in terms of time. It was not a very well kept secret that if Friedrich Smith played the right cards, he could gain the favour of the King himself.

 

And so his ever lasting absences at home were justified, just like that. Even as a kid, the blond didn”t let himself be fooled into believing that all that time was related to work or even fraternizizing with his father's colleages. Sweets weren't the only things he earned from the time he spent playing with the maids, and all of them enjoyed sharing little bits of information that his mind puzzled together. They were very clear about how they shouldn't have told him about how little loyal Friedrich was to Elizabeth, Erwin's mother, but then again, what damage would it cause to tell an innocent child who didn't deserve to be left out in the dark?

 

Poor _kid_ , Erwin heard again and again, each time they thought he wasn't near.

 

It was okay. Their pity only made getting information easier, and Erwin was too smart to let that opportunity pass.

 

His mother wasn't all that attentive of him, but unlike his father, the blond knew that it certainly wasn't because of her high status in society; like him, she wasn't all that fond of the tea parties and balls she had to attend daily. It was all about keeping the house of Smith present in every noble's mind, to make sure to leave a mark and to be respected as they should.

 

Erwin felt truly inspired by how elegantly she moved, how her jaw would clench oh so slightly whenever something was not to her liking, how she would always smile at him whenever she heard of his accomplishments - like when he successfully managed to ride a horse - and how her eyes never seemed to give away any of her thoughts... her face was the very definition of façade.

 

Sometimes, when her schedule was free, he would talk to her or take a walk through the forest together, and read a book under the shadow of an old oak near their residence.

 

Erwin Smith, the heir of the fortune of his father ever since he was born, didn't believe in fairy tales.

 

He admired and enjoyed the events that happened in them, however, things like mythology and legends were just that for him: stories made up by people when they were bored. He lived in a world where things like that were only labelled as an unnecessary distraction, and he was sure that if his father were to find out there were such heretical books in their house he would burn them in a pyre. Erwin was his heir, he claimed, and as such he should stop acting like a child and grow up into a man who would take over his company, marry a young lady of prestige, and give him gorgeous grandchildren.

 

But Erwin Smith, captain of the Sina, had witnessed more than enough evidence to know that some legends held more truth than what most people thought.

 

His change in life style had been predictable to those who squinted hard enough.

 

If there was something that the blond hated, it was the pressure, the burden on his shoulders that came with his family's title. That he could have lived with, in all honesty. But his father's egoism had reached a point he didn't want to stand anymore, and once he saw an opportunity to run away from it all, he took it without hesitation. By using his head, he soon earned himself a place as a part of a crew, and it didn't take him much effort to slowly worm his way into the minds of those around him.

 

A mutiny took place, the former captain was abandoned in the first port they reached a few days after, and as a consequence, Erwin took over his place.

 

A few years passed until he managed to earn the trust of every member of the tripulation, and by then, the man was already well into his twenties, his hometown casted away to the far, dark corners of his mind.

 

Erwin pinched the bridge of his nose, eyes wandering up and down the map on his desk. In order to get provisions, the ship had docked in the port of a small village. Although he allowed his crew to go out in the night to steal and have fun as they plased, the captain hadn't left his cabin, already planning the next stop in their route.

 

They could go to warmer waters, but he didn't feel like risking an encounter with the float that belonged to the King himself. The Military Police, which hardly ever did anything to earn their name, were far too fond of luxury and comfort to sail too far from the capital, and they usually avoided wild waters, since their cowardice kept them away from danger. They probably were doing the right thing, if they valued their lives that much. He didn't think they would last a night if they ventured further into the sea.

 

Even though they weren't very competent, their ships were, and their cannons and speed were to be feared; only a fool would dare attack them directly. The Sina, as splendid as it was, could hardly rival with them without help from other ships, and very few pirates would expose themselves to such danger.

 

Pirates lived to loot, to drink, to enjoy the freedom that the seven seas provided them.

 

Looking at the map again, Erwin made his mind. They would go south for now, if the wind allowed them to do so. The crew would probably be tired after having their fun, and very few memebers would be sober enough to keep watch during the night; it would be unwise to venture into those waters if the wind was against them, or else they could wander out of the right track.

 

It would be a while until his men arrived, he noted, and yet he found himself needing to clear his mind before the upcoming headache managed to set in. The blond got up from his chair, briefly looking through the window at his left. The sea was calm tonight, its waves lazily hitting against wood. The window he was looking through hardly allowed to see anything, apart from the surface of the water iluminated by the moonlight; it was the other window in his cabin the one that faced the port, the village's light dimly casting the room in shadows.

 

His steps carried him to the door, a hand raising to open and close it behind him. The light breeze on his face made him close his eyes for a few seconds, the tiniest hint of a smile on his lips. This was where he belonged. Not in a fancy cage.

 

Slowly, in no rush at all since he was all alone, he walked down the stairs to reach the deck. Only the moonlight and a couple of oil lanterns allowed him to see the steps in the dark as he neared the rail, leaning his upper body a bit over it. It still got to him, how volatile the ocean was. When he became part of this crew he learned to respect it, to fear it, and to workship it. The sea was much like a capricious deity, and its whims could end up being your downfall if you weren't careful. Even now, as calm as it was, Erwin liked to observe it.

 

But he felt as if he was the one being observed.

 

Immediately, his right hand went to the hilt of the sword hanging from his belt, looking backwards in order to avoid getting ambushed by his back. Nothing. His eyes shifted to his sides, watching out for any threats... and yet he found nothing, again. Although he hadn't found any evidence of it not being his imagination, he still kept his senses in alert. Something wasn't quite right. The feeling of being watched didn't vanish despite his efforts.

 

A minute passed until he forced his muscles to relax from their tense pose. Perhaps he was just too tired.

 

His gaze fell back to the water...

 

...only to find a pair of silver eyes boring right into his.

 

They didn't blink, not even once, as Erwin continued to look into them. The lack of light near the surface of the water didn't allow him to see clearly who it was, nor any other features of their owner, but those quicksilver orbs seemed to glow eerily in the dark.

 

Hypnotizing him, captivating him.

 

Patiently and somehow waiting, demanding him to join their owner in the water.

 

Erwin found himself holding onto the rail, nails digging into the hard wood and abandoning his grip on the weapon by his side. It would be oh so easy... to jump into the water and find out to who belonged such fascinating eyes. His neck craned, looking downwards, and half of his body was already bent over the rail. The captain was halfway there. He just needed... to open his hands and let himself fall forward...

 

He closed his eyes.

 

For a second, he let go.

 

"Captain! What kept ya up this late? We brought rum!" A cheerful voice chimed, coming from behind. In the back of his mind, he managed to recognize the voice. It belonged to Hanji, the second in command, and the only woman in the ship. It was only then when he noticed more voices and steps coming his way. The other members of the crew had returned from their little trip to the village.

 

And just like that, the spell was broken.

 

Not even a second later a splash caught his attention, making his neck almost snap when he turned to the place the mysterious figure had appeared at.

 

The only thing he got to see was a tail covered by silver scales before it disappeared underwater.


	2. Injury

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And those eyes hunt him even in his sleep.

It had been four weeks and three days ever since he spotted the merman.

In all honesty, if it wasn’t because he wasn’t in possession of his pocket watch at the moment it happened, Erwin would have kept count of the hours as well. Such was his infatuation, to the point where Hanji was mildly concerned about his well being. If she hadn’t been on time, who knows what could have happened to the captain.

Erwin knew that creatures from myths were meant to be feared; he himself knew more than one tale about mermaids. Their beauty was said to be stunning, their heart non-existent the very moment their preys jumped into the water to join them. Every sailor and pirate knew that they only lusted for their flesh, and that once you fell under their spell, there was nothing that could save you.

Fortunately for Erwin, he had been interrupted. It would have been a massacre otherwise, being the meal of a creature whose face he couldn’t even manage to see in the dark. Silver scales glinting in the moonlight, that was all he saw, and due to the source of the light, he couldn’t be sure about their color. What he knew for sure was that the thing that tried to lure him into the water hadn’t been _human_.

And it just made his interest grow.

The female seemed to understand what he was going through, as she had read lots of documents and forbidden books full of knowledge that not many believed to be more than a blasphemy. It was a situation with both good and bad points, since, as much as he enjoyed having someone to talk to about it without being pegged as a lunatic, her questions could prove to be too insistent, her eagerness to find out more and more information about her “precious creatures” insatiable. It was overwhelming, to say the least, but Erwin tried to reply to her questions in the best way he could.

“Was she pretty?” Hanji asked, lips quirking into a grin as she waited for his response. Erwin could no longer be sure about whether she had asked him before or not, so he just sighed.

“I don’t know. It was too dark to see a face. I saw as much as you did.” Not exactly true, because she hadn’t made it in time to see those eyes staring back at him, but it would suffice. At least, as an answer to that question.

She put her hands on her hips, bending down slightly to tower over him, since he was sitting behind his desk. He was supposed to decide what their new route would be, but the other had interrupted him in order to interrogate him once more. It didn’t really bother him. Erwin had always been patient.

“Oh come on, I’ve heard that too many times now. If you had only seen the tail then you wouldn’t be this interested in what you saw. I know you Erwin. Myths and legends have never been of your interest, and you wouldn’t even read my theories before this happened. So talk.” Her words were followed by a poke to his shoulder… one that was not exactly gentle.

“I am not lying. It…her… or whatever it was just stared right into my eyes for a few seconds.” Silver, with the faintest trace of blue, how could he ever forget. “Those eyes seemed to shine in the dark. I couldn’t see any other features. It didn’t even talk to me.”

“Don’t refer to a mermaid as an it! That is just rude. I bet they do more than eating human flesh. They look too human to be just another predator, don’t you think?” Her eyes seemed to narrow, grin dying slightly for a reason Erwin couldn’t manage to understand.

Did she truly realize the danger that those creatures supposed to every man and woman who dared to sail? Erwin wouldn’t know what to answer sometimes. However, he believed in her and in her judgment. And that was more than enough for a pirate. Because pirates only functioned under bonds forged by true trust or promises of huge loots, in which your partner could suddenly turn around and stab you in the back. It was not an easy world to live in. But Erwin preferred it a thousand times over his life as a spoiled child.

“Besides,” she continued “don’t you ever wonder how they live? Do they live in groups, alone? Do they have their offspring with a single partner, or do they switch throughout their whole lives? Oh, oh! Do you think mermans exist? Yes, there are hundreds and hundreds of stories that tell tales about how a pirate or a sailor was charmed by a mermaid, but do their species have males? Look at the possibilities, Erwin! If we could manage to find whatever you saw that night and somehow achieve communication then---“

“Hanji, the sea is far too wide for that. It’s practically impossible.”

“There is still a chance that we will encounter your creature someday! And once we do, I plan to find out everything about the beings that live under the sea, not just about mermaids. Imagine how our boundaries would expand, no longer being ignorant when it comes to the world underwater.” Her smile had come back fully by now, the female close to bouncing in her place out of excitement. She was always so full of energy and excitement, always being of support to the rest of the crew and making the lives of everyone on board lively and colorful.

“I doubt that thing can be considered mine.” How could he own something he didn’t even know the looks of? It was so strange. “And if we are talking about a person, wouldn’t it be cruel to label them as nothing but a possession?”

Surprisingly, Hanji laughed at his words, which caused him to frown.

“Oh, Erwin. You are not that mermaid’s owner.

 _I’d say it is the other way around_.”

 

* * *

 

 

His fin moved frantically as it tried to provide him an escape, teeth clenching out of effort as he moved it as much as he could, but it just proved to be pointless. He hadn’t been paying attention as he swam, getting inside a net that he couldn’t manage to get out of now. The ropes were digging into his skin every time he tried a new angle, a new direction; anything to escape the improvised prison around his whole frame, but they just seemed to tangle further and further, until he could barely move. Deft hands tried to take care of the big knots around his chest, but it was all too similar to a spider web, and his efforts were, again, fruitless.

The merman had been careless, and now he was paying for it, hanging upside down near the bottom. It hadn’t been his fault, not really, as he only wanted to get some of the fish that lived near the port, Levi’s favorite meal. But after eating, he hadn’t paid as much attention as he should have had, and now, he could only wait to get his strength back, too exhausted to keep on fighting the restraints. Soft pants left his lips, his chest swelling again and again as he took deep breaths. They were not exactly needed; but he still used them in order to regulate his breathing. He had to calm down and then swim as far as possible from the port or else it wouldn’t be pretty.

Being spotted would be a tragedy he was not looking forward to. Levi had seen what humans did to all kinds of fish and seafood in general, and having his guts spilled on a wooden table was _not_ in his bucket list.

With renewed forces, Levi tried to impulse himself again, managing to release his arms before---

The ropes around his tail constricted, making him gasp loudly in pain. Slowly, as if mocking his inability to do anything against it, the bottom started to drift further and further apart from his reaching arms.

He was being pulled up. To the surface.

Levi tried. He really tried to use his arms to counter the force of the strange machine that was pulling him up, but he was at a disadvantage, and with his tail captive, there was no way he could muster the needed force to escape.

Soon, his whole frame was bathing in light, dark grey scales reflecting the sunlight and giving the fake impression of being made of silver. And only a few seconds later, the silence he felt underwater disappeared, followed by loud noises he couldn’t exactly comprehend. Why must they be so noisy, so annoying? It made no sense to him. He had been pulled out of the water by the members of a boat that was probably used for fishing, which explained the existence of the net he had been trapped in by accident. A few men talked, which, he discovered, was the main source of the annoying loud noises his ears perceived.

It was strange to feel the light of the sun tickling his skin, making his ivory skin burn in a way that wasn’t unpleasant, that much he would be willing to admit.

And then, they all went silent.

It took him about a second to realize that they were all staring at him, and by then, his back had already landed rather painfully on the hard wood of the ship. He hissed, using his elbows to curl the upper half of his body upwards as to keep direct eye contact with his capturers. Focus. He needed to focus all his attention in them until he could get back to the water. If he lowered his guard a single second, then---

“Well well, look at this, boys. If it isn’t our lucky day!” One of the men stepped closer to the merman, reaching out as if wanting to pet him.

They all were, with their devious smiles.

The raven, whose tail had been freed after falling to the deck of the ship, did his best to crawl backwards, but there was only so much space between where he was and the railing. Those smiles just made his blood run cold, and the instinct to survive kicked in just before the sailor managed to touch him, teeth digging into the foreign hand hard enough for him to taste blood. As if his now injured hand had been burned, the man stepped back, holding his hand closely to his chest as he screamed in agony.

“ _ **YOU LITTLE BITCH!**_ ”

“Get him!”

“Don’t let it escape!”

Screams and yelling he couldn’t really comprehend rang in his ears, but he couldn’t allow himself to be distracted. He needed to get off the boat, quickly, or else he would only face more and more trouble. Trying to impulse all the upper part of his body to throw himself from over the railing to the water didn’t go as well as planned, though, and as he plummeted to the water, he only felt one thing.

 _Pain_.

Hot, searing pain.

It emerged from the skin around his neck, and he suddenly realized how a blade – which probably belonged to one of the men on the ship – seemed to sink lower and lower, towards the bottom. Red ribbons seemed to twist into themselves as they grew thinner and thinner as if they were made of smoke, blood flowing from his neck freely. The merman couldn’t keep in a blood-curling scream, muffled by the water and the injury near his vocal chords. His voice cracked almost instantly, converting his show of pain into a pitiful screech.

He couldn’t really do anything about it.

Hands rose to the wounds immediately, trying to stop the hemorrhage, but there was no way he could stop the flow completely with his bare hands alone, and the blood kept seeping through the gaps between his fingers, just slightly. Still, it was something, an act that could very easily keep him alive. With his hands wrapped tight around the wound, he tried to use his voice again, but to no avail. It was impossible. He wouldn’t be able to get in contact with others like him without being able to use his voice. There was nothing he needed more than medical treatment, but his wish to have access to it wouldn’t come true.

Silver eyes looked down; examining the bottom once he couldn’t swim any lower. He needed to find something to wrap around his neck and that could replace them before he bled out. The only valuable thing he managed to find was a rugged cloth, caught between a rock and the sand. It had probably belonged to one of the people from the surface, and it was far from appropriate to treat a wound, but with the salt of the water intensifying the pain and his inability to call for proper help, he didn’t really have any options. Carefully, but putting pressure around his neck with it, he managed to wrap it around his wound several times, enough to make the bleeding stop, and then he ripped the rest of the cloth with his hand.

The improvised bandana felt strange, as if he had been collared, and Levi didn’t like it.

He needed his wound to scar as quickly as possible.

Looking around the shallow waters bathed in light, he decided to go in the opposite direction from the port. Nothing good awaited him here, and he certainly didn’t want to be captured again. Teeth gritted, both from pain and anger, as he started swimming without a clear destination in mind.

Humans.

Oh, how he _hated_ them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would have published this much sooner, but with finals and everything, I was too stressed to sit down and write about anything at all. In a few hours I'll have my last exam, so I will be able to update this as usually as I originally planned; once every week, more or less.
> 
>  
> 
> I hope you're liking the story so far~ comments are appreciated.
> 
> Also you can find me on tumblr at [rivaillewantsthed](http://rivaillewantsthed.tumblr.com/)


	3. Wounds Scar Over Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unfortunate encounter takes place.

A few days passed by since the incident, and his wound didn’t look good at all.

It no longer stung, as the salt had helped it to scar, but even touching the mark with his fingers caused him pain. The improvised bandages made out of that cloth he had found still rested on his neck, to keep such sensitive part of his neck away from anything that might brush it. He couldn’t expose it to anything, he didn’t dare to, and as much as he would have liked to check by himself how the wound was, there was no way he could see it for himself. A pity, one that made the merman quite wary. Slightly dizzy, with his body still dealing with the need to replenish the loss of blood he had suffered, he didn’t come anywhere near the surface, but he still stayed somewhat near the coast, in the shallow waters that fish frequented.

Hunting was tiresome, too much for him at the moment, and being there, the huge amount of those creatures guaranteed that he would be able to catch at least a pair a day without too much effort. His instinct told him to rest as much as possible, laying on the sand at the bottom and enjoying the few rays of light that turned the water around him into different shades of gold and blue. He found that he liked the combination of those colors, promising himself to come back to places like this one more often.  They created an enticing show for his eyes to watch, alone as his body swayed slightly back and forth due to the sea current.

It didn’t take that much time for his eyes to close once he willed his body to relax, basking in the calm atmosphere. Even through his eyelids he could see the light surrounding him, making him feel at ease. It was easier to ignore the recent events. It was easier to ignore the need to use his vocal chords to charm an unlucky sailor.

He couldn’t anymore.

The blade has probably grazed them, and every time he tried to emit a single sound, a disgusting screech would be heard instead. Infuriating, that’s what it was. A merman that could not sing would never be accepted between his own kind, and until he got back his precious voice, he couldn’t go back to his own reality, deeper than any human would ever venture.

‘These worlds are so different.’ He thought, still in a state of half consciousness induced by the warm feeling on his silver scales.

And they were. Light and darkness, ever so distant from each other. But there was no way the light could exist without darkness, and vice versa.

His right hand wrapped itself around his neck as a fish passed by, a shudder going down his spine just from the touch. A weakness, that was all his wound was. And unless it healed completely, as well as his voice…

A frown set on his face, eyelids closing the tiniest bit tighter, as if wanting to sleep it off, as if deciding that all this trail of unfortunate events had been nothing that a nightmare. He would wake up at the capital, surrounded by an eternal night only broken by the lights that some sea creatures produced, from which all the mermans and mermaids benefitted.

In all honesty, he felt drawn to the shallow waters close to the coast, where the sun managed to warm his usually cool skin and where everything was colors and lights for him to discover. If only that didn’t imply getting close to the surface, where those disgusting creatures lived, he would be happy. He had tried to trust them. He had tried to cast what they were all taught since they were kids, about how humans were capable of doing terrible things to their world… and to their own. Wasn’t it enough for them, to destroy the surface? Or did they do it out of amusement?

He didn’t know the answer, but at his age, he couldn’t bring himself to care.

The light behind his eyelids grew dimmer in a matter of seconds, or so it seemed to him. It was more than possible that he had just fallen unconscious, with the sea current cradling him to sleep. His eyelids fluttered open, just enough to look at whatever that had disturbed his peaceful state. Wood met his sight, nothing but a few feet above his head. The ship was fairly big, but he found himself grimacing at it in distaste. There was no way he was facing the same drama again. Not without his charm or any other kind of weapon. It probably had a large crew, and it he hadn’t been able of dealing with the small one that rendered him completely useless, it was obvious that the outcome wouldn’t be pretty if he made eye contact with any of the men above him.

He had been close to the surface, but not this close. The waves had probably carried him slowly in a way that he didn’t notice at all. He could see the surface clearly; he could feel the muffled noises of the outside world, making the water vibrate. This was supposed to be a desert shore, void of any annoying people. And yet, his peace has been disrupted.

It didn’t matter. They would eventually go away, he was sure of it. And once they did, he would be all alone again and he would resume his nap. The raven bit his bottom lip, urging himself to calm down. It was alright. The ship itself covered his face and almost all of his body in the position he was, and they didn’t have any reason to look _down_ , now did they? He would stay still, without making a single movement, and their attention wouldn’t be attracted.

For all he knew, he could be freaking out over nothing.

The boat kept moving, just enough to reach the shore by swimming, he supposed. There were no ports in this part of the island. The crew probably wanted nothing but to get food and anything they could find that they needed to replenish. Too exquisite, too needy. He considered them pretty stupid, but the incident he had suffered proved that they knew how to get fish to eat, right? Wouldn’t it be easier to do that instead of this? Che. He really didn’t understand why they went through so much trouble to feed themselves.

In a matter of seconds, he could see the sun again.

* * *

 

This was one of their hiding places. Every once in a while, Erwin programmed a trip to this island, store the things they had gathered from different encounters with other pirates and the law, and then go back to the sea. This way, if they ever lost all their gold due to their ship sinking or being stolen by other people, they could simply come back here, get enough to get another ship and start anew. Erwin wasn’t stupid; his education had prevented that from happening, and he would never risk so much without a plan involved.

His boredom had managed to get him out of his cabin. It wasn’t exactly strange; he was pretty close to the crew, and the respect they held towards his captain was mutual. Trust was important, and luckily for him, he had it. The sky was bright and of an intense blue that rivaled the Caribbean; it was a wonderful sight, one that reminded Erwin of every reason why he had decided to change his former life for this one. Freedom, remote places… everything that being a noble made impossible.

Leaning over the railing, he watched as his men took a boat to carry the goods to the shore, Hanji included. She knew the way, and her vast knowledge would be of use should they meet any inhabitants of the island. He truly trusted her with his life, and should the opportunity arise, if he were to fall, she would take over as the new captain. Such was the bond they shared.

Shines of a blinding white as the sun reflected on the water made him close his eyes suddenly, seeking to shield his eyes from the light. He was already used to the way the light was caught by the waves, but this was different. Intrigued, he bent over the railing to move his body forward, as if the gesture would somehow manage to make it easier to see through the light. It had made him blind for a second, he didn’t doubt that at all, and yet he didn’t feel any remorse. His curiosity took over, wondering what the source of the phenomenon was. Jewels? Something made of crystal? Erwin wanted to find out.

Against his better judgment and the confused shouts of his men, he threw himself over the railing, feeling the water surround him and weighing him down the moment he stepped into it. His clothes fluttered, the fabric of his white shirt folding and twisting in a way that only the most skilled dancers would be able to imitate in the surface. This was what he liked about the sea: the art, creatures and mysteries it held within its secretive waters. A capricious goddess, ruthless against those who dared to underestimate her power. Maybe the myths were true. Maybe the sea was Calypso, Poseidon, Neptune… so many names had he heard from Hanji, and yet he was still interested.

His eyes took some seconds to get used to the salty water, and by then, he had already managed to find himself a few feet away from the source of the blinding shine. A tail full of scales glinted under the sunlight, its owner facing the small boat nearing the shore, obviously distracted. The muscles of his back showed he was tense, and the way his shoulders kept rigid at an unnatural position spoke nothing but danger. Like a predator, ready to pounce if given the chance. The captain willed himself to hold his breath in instead of gawking at his form, and before he could stop himself, his fingers had already closed around one of the creature’s wrists, startling him.

The way he turned towards the blond could have easily given him whiplash, and he was pretty sure that that free hand would have scratched his face off if he hadn’t been quick enough to catch it along with its twin.

He was beautiful.

Quicksilver eyes seemed to glare at him as the merman in his grasp struggled to free himself from Erwin, his tail moving frantically and hitting the captain more than once in his stomach. But he wasn’t going to let go, not once he saw those eyes. He recognized them. There was no way he could be mistaken. Because they were unique, they were the cause of his deepest infatuation, and they belonged to this creature. He idly wondered if the other recognized him, or if he had been just another victim that had been lucky enough to escape before it was too late. The merman’s eyes had widened, but he didn’t know if that was out of desperation or recognition, and he wasn’t going to waste the remaining oxygen in his lungs while he thought about it.

He was at a disadvantage, but his men had seen him jump, and they had followed him soon after.

Their moment was broken the moment they appeared on their sight.

It was only with their help that they all managed to bring the creature to the surface, more than one pirate avoiding his bite by mere inches. Dangerous. That was all they thought. And no one could say anything about it, not even Erwin. The process of scooting him up to a boat and then to the ship was plain torture, and more than once, Erwin felt his heart jump every time he almost managed to escape back to his natural habitat. He didn’t, though, and that was all that mattered. The crew focused on tying his wrists together and keeping watch of the merman.

Catching him had been fairly easy, considering the amount of people who had pitched in to help. But it didn’t change the fact that their captain had been somehow interested in this incarnated legend. And that was something new.

“Jones, bring a bucket of water. We need to keep his skin wet.” Erwin said, nodding to one of his men once he left.

“Zach, go call Hange. Tell her it’s important.” Again, another order was enounced, and if anything, the rage in the grey eyes staring up at him became fiercer. He truly believed in the ability of his men. But if they didn’t watch out, he also believed that he could bite their limbs off.

A moment of silence followed, and Erwin cocked his head to the side, watching the way the merman’s chest swelled each time he panted, out of exhaustion and fury. For a second, Erwin tried to sympathize with the captive. But images of the night some time ago swarmed his mind, and Hanji’s words about how he could have been devoured rang in his ears. He had been about to die, and he hadn’t even known about it. It was cruel, like a stab given from the back. These eyes--- the ones staring defiantly at him right then had nothing but captivated him back then, charming him without even a smile. For some reason, he felt betrayed. An unfinished charm had drove him crazy for days, unable to sleep, unable to forget, seeing those eyes – these eyes, he reminded himself – everywhere. But the merman didn’t have the decency to muster a guilty expression, showing nothing but indignation and rage.

He wondered if he had done the right thing, catching this creature. Breaking a taboo.

His eyes wandered down those eyes to the rest of his face, taking in the midnight black hair and the ivory skin that led to those silver scales of his. They still reflected the sunlight, projecting fair shadows on the wood under their feet. He forced himself to stop paying attention to the spectacle. He couldn’t allow himself to become distracted. The cloth covering his neck did manage to catch his attention, and once again his curiosity was set alive, like a flame. Erwin stared at it, hoping that his rude actions would get the other to talk. If he could, that was.

“Why are you wearing that rugged cloth? You didn’t have it the last time, did you?” It was far from favorable, an unlikely accessory. But the captain wanted the reason behind it, as well as other questions, and so he kept asking them until Hange arrived.

His ears only met silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been tired and sick for the whole week, but I still had to update this. uvu
> 
> So yeah, they finally met again. Comments are appreciated!
> 
> Also, you can find me on tumblr at [rivaillewantsthed](http://rivaillewantsthed.tumblr.com/), so feel free to send me prompts there.


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